Aussie tech journalist Steven Fenech and his family are the first to receive a $0 energy bill through the use of a new Solar and Battery combination. The system comes from Natural Solar and German-based sonnenBatterie and with their sonnenFlat system. The Fenech’s received their first power bill since installing their system in late 2017, revealing the true cost and savings attached to this setup.

The Fenech family home is a two storey, four bedroom home with three bathrooms, fully ducted air conditioning, a dedicated home theatre system, 4K projector, four TV’s, two fridges and a large washing machine, dryer and home office. Located in in Sydney’s Eastern suburb of Pagewood, they are an above average energy user, so they have one of the larger opportunities for savings.

First off, lets talk about the system, its a 7.56kW solar array of 27 panels, connected to a SolarEdge inverter and a 10kWh Sonnen battery. While each household will vary in its usage, the average use was 34.75kWh/day, which should allow you to compare to your own usage. Calculated out, its expected the family will save A$2,525.88 this year.

Installed by Natural Solar, this sonnenFlat system has guaranteed the Fenech family savings, and has removed energy charges, power supply charges and has dropped their power bills from a quarterly average of $614.39 down to a mere $40 monthly admin fee. The battery has an expected life of around 20 years, which over its life is expected to save more than $50,517.60 in electricity bills.

THE STATS

Consumers pay $0 for power bills with sonnenFlatThe Fenech household will save $2,525.88 in power charges during 2018The Fenech household will only pay $40 per month as an administration fee. Previously the power usage of 34.75kWh per day in a monthly period would have cost $291.54 in new electricity charges. In 2017, family paid $2,457.56 for power, and in 2018 (based on national price rise) cost would have risen to $3,005.95. The Fenech family paid $840.12 for February 2017 quarter power bill, with a quarterly average of $614.39 annually. During the Feb 2018 quarter will see a maximum of $120 paid – saving $720.12 in this period alone.

The Fenech family will save $210.49 per month and $631.47 per quarter. Previously, Fenech’s were paying $379.40 just for grid access without a cent being charged for power usage. These charges will no longer apply with the Fenech’s paying only $480 for both access and power charges with no additional costs applied. It costs just $1.31 per day for the Fenech family to power their home, compared to $8.24 per day a year ago. That works out to a daily saving of $6.93.

sonnenBatteries start from $11,500 for the battery, however consumers can pay $0 upfront on interest free loans and payment plans allowing them to be cashflow positive from day one, paying less than the price of their current quarterly power bills.

South Australia is expected to offer a $2,500 battery rebate, similar schemed anticipated to roll out in 2018. More than 7,500 Aussie homes transitioned to battery powers, with more than 1,000 Natural Solar customers jumping on board with sonnen and moving to this risk-free energy retailer.

HOW IT WORKS

sonnenFlat is the first energy solution of its kind in Australia, acting both as a home battery storage solution as well as an energy retailer, giving the ability to guarantee consumers’ savings. Making up almost one-quarter of the global battery market, sonnenFlat provides an annual consumption allowance and no supply or network charges to each home for a small fixed monthly fee. This off-sets increasing electricity prices from traditional retailers, and ensures consumers are maximising the benefits of battery power in their home.

In the case of sonnenFlat, sonnen pays the residual power bill, and in turn, the household pays a flat admin fee of $30, $40 or $50 (depending on energy usage) with sonnen taking all the risk on future energy price rises.

CEO & Founder of Natural Solar, Chris Williams said,

“It’s refreshing to see a battery manufacturer and electricity retailer that is aligned with Australian households by providing $0 electricity bills, which is what our Natural Solar customers want. Ask most Australians, and I doubt they will speak of their electricity retailer favourably.

Our customers are head over heels with the concept and the proof is in the numbers. This is a game changer for both savvy consumers and the battery industry, meaning consumers are no longer at the mercy of unscrupulous energy retailers.”

Steve Fenech was recently interviewed on Channel 9’s Today Show about the setup.

Creator of techAU, Jason has spent the dozen+ years covering technology in Australia and around the world. Bringing a background in multimedia and passion for technology to the job, Cartwright delivers detailed product reviews, event coverage and industry news on a daily basis.

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